Thanks to the support of our many donors and partners, the NFF and 50 Million For Our Forests campaign planted 7,338,912 trees in 2021. That is more trees planted than ever before in a single year!

The 50 Million campaign is making meaningful progress, with 21.3 million trees confirmed and in the ground on National Forests between 2018 and the start of 2022. Because of this, we are rounding out the second half of the campaign strong, with the goal to have all 50 million trees planted by the end of 2025.

As the 7.3 million trees grow, they will help expand native habitat in the Southeast, improve forest stand diversity in the Midwest, and increase resilience on wildfire-impacted forests in the West.

Read our 2021 Impact Report and then explore more behind the numbers below.

58 Projects on 40 National Forests in 20 States and Puerto Rico

Our reforestation program closed out 36 national campaign projects and our extraordinary field and grant-making colleagues helped our efforts with 22 additional locally-funded projects. Collectively, our efforts touched 40 National Forests across the country, extending from both coasts, up to Tongass National Forest in Alaska and over to El Yunque National Forest on Puerto Rico.

More than 21,000 Acres Reforested

Altogether, our efforts are restoring and enhancing roughly 198,450 NBA basketball courts worth of public lands. The effects of this work can reach surrounding communities through benefits to watersheds, air quality, recreational sites, and more. The equivalent of an environmental and economic slam dunk!

61 Percent of Campaign Projects Supported Wildfire Restoration

In 2021, wildfires burned more than 7 million acres of land in the U.S. Planting after wildfire now accounts for more than 80 percent of reforestation need on National Forest lands and was the main planting objective for more than half of our campaign projects.

28 Species Planted

We planted many of our most common species, in addition to those less commonly planted like several types of oaks and numerous varieties of conifers, such as bigcone Douglas-fir, an evergreen found only in Southern California.

Approximately 17 Billion Gallons of Rainwater Can Be Intercepted Annually

Planting trees helps reduce severe flooding and slow stormwater runoff. With growth and maturity, the trees planted can collectively intercept billions of gallons of rainfall every year.

More Than 3.6 Million Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide Can Be Stored Over 100 Years

Over the lifetime of the trees planted, they can sequester the equivalent of the CO₂ emissions released from approximately 441,000 homes’ energy use for one year. That is more than half of all the homes in the state of Nebraska.

Countless Donors, Partners, and Planters Who Make These Efforts Possible

We are grateful to our many supporters and partners for their generosity and help. Without them, not a single tree would be planted. Our donors and small business and corporate partners keep the 50 Million campaign running, with their support growing considerably each year. Our U.S. Forest Service partners are the silviculturists and scientists implementing and monitoring this work on the ground, making sure each tree is planted to ensure maximum survival and benefits. And last, but certainly not least, the professional tree planters are the marathon runners of these efforts – traversing up and down mountainsides with up to 100 seedlings at a time!

Cover photo by the NFF.

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As you can see, planting trees is a vital and cherished part of our work on National Forests nationwide. Planting trees is a team effort at NFF from field managers to finance officers to our communicators and more. Your unrestricted gift helps ensure the entire NFF team is strong, focused, and ready to get trees in the ground. Please give today by simply clicking here. Thank you!